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Canadian Group Pours Magnesium LPPM Castings |
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Released on December 3, 2007
A team from Centre Intégré de Fonderie et de Métallurgie (CIFM) and Technologie du Magnésium et de l’Aluminium, both of Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, on Nov. 29 poured a run of magnesium AZ91E automotive bell housings in the low pressure permanent mold process (LPPM).
The castings, 11 lbs. and 18 x 14 x 7 in. as-cast, had wall thicknesses varying from 0.375 to 1 in. The 14 housings were poured in one hour on an LPPM machine recently acquired by CIFM under a grant of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Several runs with aluminum A356 previously had been carried out in the same mold, and differences were highlighted in the behavior of the two metals. According to a press release issued by CIFM, this ongoing research and development project will now focus on improving the mold coating practice and enhancing directional solidification in the casting, which proved to be more crucial with magnesium.
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